Power supply

ABSTRACT

A power supply ( 1 ) for a load in the form of a PCMCIA card ( 2 ) has and onboard GPRS class (10) module (not shown). The module, and therefore card ( 2 ), demands a load current i load  that has an average value over time and periodic instantaneous peak values (i peak ) that are significantly higher than the average value. Power supply ( 1 ) includes a pair of input terminals ( 3 ) for connecting with a power source in the form of a regulated power supply ( 4 ) that is contained within a personal computer (not shown). Supply ( 4 ) supplies a source current i input  that is less than a predetermines current limit specified for the supply and which is less than the peak load current. A pair of output terminals ( 5 ) is electrically connected with terminals ( 3 ) and card ( 2 ). A supercapacitor device in the form of a single supercapacitor ( 6 ) is in parallel with terminals ( 3, 5 ) for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while maintaining the source current at less than the predetermined current limit.

This is a 371 national phase application of PCT/AU2003/001175 filed 9 Sep. 2003, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a power supply.

The invention has been developed primarily for use with a GPRS communications module for a PCMCIA card and will be described hereinafter with reference to that application. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to that particular field of use and is also suitable for other communications modules such as a GSM module or a Mobitex module, whether included in a PCMCIA card, a Compact Flash card, or any other communications module for a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a Tablet computer, a wireless LAN device or other computing devices.

BACKGROUND ART

Known mobile communications modules, such as GPRS modules, are used in PCMCIA cards. The modules include a number of integrated circuits that collectively function to allow information to be processed and transmitted in accordance with the required communications standard. In the case of GPRS modules the information is usually non-voice data, although voice data is transmitted similarly.

The design of portable computing devices such as laptop computers and PDA's is strongly driven to minimize while maximizing the period between recharging of the battery. This suggests that the battery should have as high an energy density as possible. However, batteries of this type typically have a high time constant and are therefore compromised in their ability to provide the required voltage and current during the high power mode of the typical communications modules used in these devices. Accordingly, the more usual compromise is to tolerate a lower power density—and therefore a shorter battery life—but gain a shorter time constant.

In partial answer to this problem, it has been known to use a bank of parallel tantalum capacitors to assist the battery during the high power mode. While some small advantage is gained, this is usually not justified by the cost and bulk of these capacitors.

The design of wireless communication devices for wireless LANs, PCMCIA cards and the like, is driven to achieve the desired functionality while also minimizing volume, peak power consumption and cost. In contrast, the demands for increased functionality and wider bandwidth communication usually require more volume, higher peak power and higher cost. These competing considerations place an increased premium on PCB “real estate”, packaging volumes and component costs as designers attempt to get more from less.

In any event, these cards are reliant upon the hots computing device supplying the required power. Increasingly it is being found that the host has a specified current limit for the card that is less than the peak current demanded. That is, for the card to operate it will have to do so outside the power supply specification of the host. While this may not be catastrophic in all cases, it is highly undesirable and, ultimately, unsustainable if system stability is required.

Accordingly, for both portable and mains supplied devices the increasing demands for communication flexibility is being compromised and hindered, if not prevented, by power supply limitations.

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention, at least in the preferred embodiment, to overcome or substantially ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a power supply for a load that demands and average load current and a peak load current that is higher than the average load current, the power supply including:

input terminals for electrically connecting with a power source that supplies a source current that is less than a predetermined current limit, wherein the predetermined current limit is less than the peak load current;

output terminals for electrically connecting with the input terminals and the load; and

a supercapacitor device in parallel with the output terminals for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while substantially maintaining the source current at less than about the predetermined current limit.

Preferably, the predetermined current limit is between the average load current and the peak load current.

Preferably also, the voltage at the input terminals is greater than or equal to the voltage at the output terminals. More preferably, the power supply maintains the input and the output terminals at substantially the same voltage.

In a preferred form, the supercapacitor device includes one or more supercapacitors in parallel with the output terminals. More preferably the power supply includes a current limiter disposed between the input terminals and the output terminals. Even more preferably, the current limiter maintains the source current at less than the predetermined current limit during charging of the supercapacitive device from the power source.

Preferably, the supercapacitor device includes a plurality of supercapacitors that are connected in parallel with each other. However, in other embodiments the supercapacitors are connected in series with each other.

Preferably also, the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than about 120 mΩ. More preferably, the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than about 100 mΩ. In some embodiments, the supercapacitor device is selected to have an ESR of less than 80 mΩ, while in other embodiments, the supercapacitor device is selected to have an ESR of less than 30 mΩ. More preferably, the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less tan 24 mΩ. Even more preferably, the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than 20 mΩ.

In a preferred form, the supercapacitor device provides a capacitance of at least about 0.4 Farads. More preferably, the footprint of the device is less than about 800 m^(2.) Even more preferably, the footprint of the device is less tan about 40mm×20 mm.

Preferably, load is a communications device. More preferably, the communications device includes a GPRS module or a GSM module. Even more preferably, the load is a card for a computer, and the communications device is mounted to the card. In these embodiments the power source is derived from the internal power supply of the computer.

In a preferred form, the current limiter includes a variable resistance device disposed between the input and the output terminals for providing a predetermined resistance. More preferably, the variable resistance device is a semiconductor device. Even more preferably, the current limiter includes a current sensor disposed between the input and the output terminals for providing a signal indicative of the source current, wherein the variable resistance device is responsive to the signal for setting the predetermined resistance. In an embodiment, the sensor is a low value resistance and the semiconductor device is MOSFET.

Preferably, the variable resistance device is responsive to the signal to selectively operate in one of a high resistance mode; a low resistance mode; and a linear resistance mode. For example, where the variable resistance device is a MOSFET, the high, low and linear resistance modes correspond to the MOSFET being switch OFF, switched ON, and biased for linear operation. It will be appreciated that the linear resistance mode simply implies some correlation, as is known for such semiconductor device, between the signal and the resistance although this need not be exactly proportional.

Preferably also, the variable resistance device operates in the low resistance mode while the load current is less than about the predetermined current limit. More preferably, the variable resistance device operates within the linear mode when the source current approaches the predetermined current limit. Even more preferably, the variable resistance device, when operating within the linear mode, provides an increasing resistance as the source current approaches the predetermined current limit.

In a preferred form, under normal operating conditions, the load includes a start-up phase where the supercapacitor device requires charging, wherein the supercapacitor device is selected such that the current limiter is typically operational only during the start-up phase of the load. That is, during normal operation, the supercapacitor device has sufficient capacity to supply the peak currents, and be recharged by the supply current between the peaks, while containing the supply current below the predetermined current limit. In other embodiments, however, the current limiter is operational also during the current peaks. In the latter embodiments, the supercapacitor provides a greater proportion of the peak current.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a communications card for a computer, the computer having a power source that provides a source curt for the card that is less than a predetermined current limit, the card including:

a substrate for supporting a plurality of electrical components that collectively define a load that demands a peak load current that is greater than the predetermined current limit and an average load current that is less than the peak load current;

input terminals for electrically connecting with the power source;

output terminals for electrically connecting with the input terminals and the load; and

a supercapacitor device in a parallel with the output terminals for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while the substantially limiting the source current to less than about the predetermined current limit.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a computing device including:

a communication card for allowing the computer to communicate with other computing devices wherein, in use, the card demands a peak load current and an average load current that is less than the peak load current;

power source for supplying a source current to the card, the power source having a predetermined current limit that is less than the peak load current;

input terminals for electrically connecting with the power source;

output terminals for electrically connecting with the input terminals and the card; and

a supercapacitor device in a parallel with the output terminals for allowing the card to be supplied the peak load current while substantially limiting the source current to less than about the predetermined current limit.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a current limiter including:

input terminals for electrically connecting with a power source that supplies a source current that is less than a predetermined current limit, wherein the predetermined current limit is less than the peak load current; and

output terminals for electrically connecting with the input terminals and the load and for electrically connecting to parallel with a supercapacitor device for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while substantially maintaining the source current at less than about the predetermined current limit.

Even more preferably, the current limiter maintains the source current at less than the predetermined current limit during charging of the supercapacitive device from the power source.

In a preferred form, the current limiter includes a variable resistance device disposed between the input and the output terminals for providing a predetermined resistance. More preferably, the variable resistance device is a semiconductor device. Even more preferably, the current limiter includes a current sensor disposed between the input and the output terminals for providing a signal indicative of the source current, wherein the variable resistance device is responsive to the signal for setting the predetermined resistance. In an embodiment, the sensor is a low value resistor and the semiconductor device is a MOSFET.

Preferably, the variable resistance device is responsive to the signal to selectively operate in one of a high resistance mode; a low resistance mode; and a linear resistance mode. For example, where the variable resistance device is a MOSFET, the high, low and linear resistance modes correspond to the MOSFET being switched OFF, switched ON, and biased for linear operation. It will be appreciated that the linear resistance mode simply implies some correlation, as is known for such semiconductor device, between the signal and the resistance although this need not be exactly proportional.

Preferably also, the variable resistance device operates in the low resistance mode while the load current is less than about the predetermined current limit. More preferably, the variable resistance device operates within the linear mode when the source current approaches the predetermined current limit. Even more preferably, the variable resistance device, when operating within the linear mode, provides an increasing resistance as the source rent approaches the predetermined current limit.

In a preferred form, under normal operating conditions, the load includes a start-up phase where the supercapacitor device requires charging, wherein the supercapacitor device is selected such that the current limiter is operational only during the start-up phase of the load. That is, during normal operation, the supercapacitor device has sufficient capacity to supply the peak currents, and be recharged by the supply current between the peaks, while containing the supply current below the predetermined current limit.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method for supplying a load that demands an average load current and a peak load current that is higher than the average load current, the method including:

electrically connecting input terminals with a power source that supplies a source current that is less than a predetermined current limit, wherein the predetermined current limit is less than the peak load current;

electrically connecting output terminals with the input terminals and the load; and

providing a supercapacitor device in a parallel with the output terminals for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while substantially maintaining the source current at less than about the predetermined current limit.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a method for supplying a communications card for a computer, the computer having a power source that provides a source current for the card that is less than a predetermined current limit and the card including a substrate for supporting a plurality of electrical components that collectively define a load that demands a peak load current that is great than the predetermined current limit and an average load current that is less than the peak load current, the method including:

electrically connecting input terminals with the power source;

electrically connecting output terminals with the input terminals and the load; and

providing a supercapacitor device in parallel with the output terminals for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while substantially limiting the source current to less than about the predetermined current limit.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a method of supplying a communications card within a computing device, the method including:

electrically connection the communications card with the computer for allowing the computer to communicate with other computing devices wherein, in use, the card demands a peak load current and an average load current that is less than the peak load current;

supplying a source current to the card with a power source that has a predetermined current limit that is less than the peak load current;

electrically connecting input terminals with the power source;

electrically connecting output with the input terminals and the card; and

a supercapacitor device in a parallel with the output terminals for allowing the card to be supplied the peak load current while substantially limiting the source current to less than about the predetermined current limit.

According to and eighth aspect of the invention there is provide a method of limiting current, the method including:

electrically connecting input terminals with a power source that supplies a source current that is less than a predetermined current limit, wherein the predetermined current limit is less than the peak load current; and

electrically connecting output terminals with the input terminals and the load and for electrically connecting in parallel with a supercapacitor device for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while substantially maintaining the source current at less than about the predetermined current limit.

the term “computer” includes both mains connected and portable computing equipment such as, for example, desktop computers, laptop computers, PDA's and cellular telephones. The term “card” includes, for example, CompactFlash Cards, PCMCIA cards, modem cards and other communications cards.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words ‘comprise’, ‘comprising’, ‘include’, ‘including’ and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to”. Additionally, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words ‘connected’ and ‘electrically connected’ are used as equivalents to describe or define an electrical connection between two or more elements. It will be understood that an electrical connection need not be a direct electrical connections and includes an indirect electrical connection between the respective elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings and appendix in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of a power supply according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a more detailed circuit diagram of the current limit circuit used in the power supply of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an oscilloscope image including a number of traces for the power supply of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an oscilloscope image including a number of traces for an alternative embodiment of a power supply according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a PCMCIA card of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of an alternative communication card according to the invention; and

Appendix A is numbered as pages 22 to 35 of this specification and is an “Application Note” developed by the inventors.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 there is illustrated schematically a power supply 1 for a load in the form of a PCMCIA card 2 that has an onboard GPRS Class 10 module (not shown). The module, and therefore card 2, demands a load current i_(load) that has an average value over time and periodic instantaneous peak values (i_(peak)) that are significantly higher the average value. Power supply 1 includes a pair of input terminals 3 for electrically connecting with a power source in the form of a regulated power supply 4 that is contained within a personal computer (not shown). Supply 4 supplies a source current i_(input) that is less than a predetermined current limit specified for the supply and which is less than the peak load current. A pair of output terminals 5 is electrically connected with terminals 3 and card 2. A supercapacitor device in the form of a single supercapacitor 6 is in parallel with terminals 3 and 5 for allowing the load to be supplied the peak load current while maintaining the source current at less than the predetermined current limit

Power supply 4 has a specification that sets the predetermined current limit at 1 Amp for each card within the computer. In other embodiments the predetermined current limit is different.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that card 1 is but one of a number of cards within the computer, where those cards offer respective functionalities for the user of the computer. For the GPRS functionality, however, a usual GPRS transmitter needs 1.5 Amps to 2 Amps to transmit at full power at the regulated supply voltage of 3.3 Volts. For example, when transmitting in class 10 using a maximum of two of the eight 577 ms time slots, the pulse duration is 1.154 ms and the period 4.616 ms. It is not possible for prior art cards to supply this load and remain within specification without additional complication and expense such as the use of a secondary battery to provide peak power to the card. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, however, supercapacitor 6 has a high capacitance and a low ESR (equivalent series resistance) and is thereby able to deliver large current pulses without large voltage swings at terminals 5. That is, the ripple in V_(load) is small and allows the load current i_(load) to meet the peak current demands of card 2 during transmission. In these circumstances i_(load) exceeds the predetermined current limit, while i_(input) does not. That is, supply 1 has a load-leveling effect that allows current drawn from the source 4 during the load pulses to be contained within the range allowed by the PC card specification.

An important criterion in selecting supercapacitor 6 is low ESR, as ESR is typically the major contributor to the voltage ripple for high capacitance devices. However, when card 2 is first plugged into supply 4, supercapacitor 6 is usually in a discharged state. Accordingly, the lower the ESR the higher will be the initial charging current into supercapacitor 6. To prevent the supercapacitor's initial charging current from overloading supply 4, supply 1 includes a current-limit circuit 7. This circuit limits i_(input) to just less than the peak current supply that is specified fox card 2. A more detailed illustration of circuit 7 is provided in FIG. 2. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that during normal operation—that is, following the initial charging of supercapacitor 6—circuit 7 is effectively inoperative and presents only minimal impedance.

Supercapacitor 6 enables card 2 and the GPRS module to operate within specification even though i_(load) during the periodic peak times exceeds the value allowed by supply 4. This is done with substantially 100% efficiency, instead of the lower efficiency and higher cost of a DC-DC converter. Additionally, supercapacitor 6 does not generate EMI. That is, it is the action of supercapacitor 6 that limits the peak current load upon source 4 during normal operation of card 2. Circuit 7, during that normal operation, is not used to effect that current limiting. Stating this in different terms, supercapacitor 6 is designed to limit i_(input) during normal usage to not only fall below the specification of supply 4, but also to prevent circuit 7 from activating. In other embodiments, however, circuit 7 is designed to limit i_(input) during a peak current period such that a greater proportion of the required current is drawn from the supercapacitor. This allows the use of a supercapacitor having a higher ESR. The constraint is that as the supercapacitor discharges to provide the peak current, the output voltage provided by the supercapacitor falls. However, this is accommodated so long as the capacitance of the supercapacitor is large enough—light of the volume constraints encountered—to ensure the voltage remains above the acceptable minimum for the load. Accordingly, in these embodiments, the supercapacitor is selected to have a combination of capacitance and ESR that, for the given footprint and/or volume constraints, contains the voltage droop such that the input voltage does not fall below the minimum voltage required by the load during the peak current period.

The amount of energy that supply 4 is able to deliver in a typical pulse period is able to be compared with the energy required by card 2 by performing a simple energy balance. If the load has a duty cycle of D (where 0<D≦1) and the load current has a continuous component of I_(steady) and pulse of i_(peak) (in addition to I_(steady)) then the average power drawn during one cycle is: P _(ave) =V _(cc)(I _(steady) +D·i _(peak))

The maximum average power that may be drawn from the supply is given by P _(ave, max) =V _(cc) ·I _(max)

Where I_(max) is given by the PC Card specification as 1 Amp. P_(ave) must be less than P_(ave, max) for the load to function. Combining the above equations, the following must be satisfied: I _(steady) +D·i _(peak) <I _(max)

While this equation is true for an ideal, infinite capacitor, some margin is allowed for voltage ripple in a real device. For the illustrated embodiment, the GPRS module is run in Class 10 mode on a card 2. Use is made of 2 slots out of 8 to provide a 25% duty cycle, and the card draws 100 mA continuously plus 1.9 Amps peak pulse transmission current. Given this, I_(steady)+D·i_(peak)=0.1+0.25·×1.9 Amps=0.575 Amps, which is well under the 1 Amp limit. This ignores losses, but gives an approximate magnitude of the current that will be drawn from supply 4.

The oscilloscope image of FIG. 3 illustrates the traces for the circuit of FIG. 1 The x-axis is in units of time, while the y-axis is in units of voltage for the top two traces and current for the bottom two traces.

Supercapacitor 6 is a 0.25 Farad 40 mΩ device. The supply voltage V_(cc) from supply 4 is 3.3 Volts at a supply impedance of 200 mW. A load is imposed by a card 2 of a 1.9 A pulse for a 1.154 ms every 4.616 ms. That is, a Class 10 (2-slot) transmission. Progressing from the top to the bottom of the traces provided in FIG. 3, there is shown:

The input voltage, that is, V_(cc)—designated by reference numeral 11.

The load voltage that is, V_(load)—designated by reference numeral 12.

The current drawn from supply 4, that is, i_(input)—designated by reference numeral 13.

The current drawn by the GPRS module, that is, i_(load)—designated by reference numeral 14.

It should also be noted that zero is the bottom graticule in the traces.

Due to the use of supply 1 there is no point in the cycle where i_(input) exceeds the 1 Amp specification of supply 4. Moreover, this is achieved simultaneously with i_(load) satisfying the peak current demands of card 2.

It is of interest to note that increasing the impedance of supply 4 or adding resistance to circuit 7 results in a reduced peak input current. However, the tradeoff is a reduced minimum and average output voltage.

The table below, Table 1, contains some examples of supercapacitors that work in the above example with a 2 Amp maximum load current. The “Type No.” is the model number allocated to the devices by cap-XX Pty Ltd, a manufacturer and supplier of supercapacitor devices.

In other embodiments use is made of supercapacitors, or supercapacitor devices, with a total ESR of up to 80 mΩ. It will be appreciated, however, from the teaching herein, that those supercapacitors or supercapacitor devices with lower ESR will perform better in the context of the present embodiments, and will also provide more headroom.

Those supercapacitors listed in Table 1 that are rated for 2.3 Volts operation, two are combined in series for use with supply 4 given the operational voltage is 3.3 Volts. Where lower operational voltages are used a single one of the supercapacitors is suitable. Moreover, the higher voltage applications more than two supercapacitors are connected in series.

TABLE 1 Footprint Capacitance ESR Voltage (mm × Thickness (Farads) (mΩ) (Volts) mm) (mm) Type No. 0.18 60 4.5 28.5 × 17 2.79 GW202 0.35 (each) 30 (each) 2.3 28.5 × 17 1.36 GW102 (x2) 0.2 50 4.5   39 × 17 2.06 GS203 0.4 (each) 26 (each) 2.3   39 × 17 0.99 GS103 (x2)

The supercapacitor in Table 1 are all designed such that the current limiter need only operate during start-up of the device. However, for those embodiments where the current limiter also operates during peak load current periods, suitable supercapacitor devices are designed by cap-XX Pty Ltd by respective Type No.'s GW209, GW214, HS201, and GS204. It will be appreciated from the teaching herein that equivalent supercapacitor devices are also suitable.

The supercapacitor devices referred to in the preceding paragraph typically thinner and therefore more easily packaged into a given device. However, they also have a higher ESR than those device referred in Table 1. However, for the applications describes in the embodiments, these supercapacitor devices still have a sufficiently low ESR and a sufficiently high capacitance, notwithstanding the small packaged size, to provide the desired functionality. That is, when properly applied, the higher ESR supercapacitor devices do not allow the voltage at the load to drop below the minimum required, even in light of the operation of the current limiter in the peak current period.

In all the preferred embodiments describes herein, use is made of supercapacitor devices having an ESR of less than about 120 mΩ. However, in other embodiments, the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than about 100 mΩ. In some embodiments, the supercapacitor device is selected to have an ESR of less than 80 mΩ, while in other embodiments, the supercapacitor device is selected to have an ESR of less than 30 mΩ. For particular embodiments, the supercapacitor device is selected to have an ESR of less than 24 mΩ, while in other embodiments, the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than 20 mΩ.

Other supercapacitor devices that are suitable for use in the embodiments of the invention are disclosed in a co-pending PCT patent application PCT/AU03/01117 filed on 29 Aug. 2003 in the name of Energy Storage System Pty Ltd and entitled “A Power Supply For A Communications Module That Demands High Power During Predetermined Periods”. The disclosure within that application is incorporated herein by way of cross-reference.

In other embodiments (not shown) card 2 includes a communications module in the form of a GPRS Class 12 module. While the principle of operation remains the same, the parameters of the supercapacitor used are different to account for the requirements of the different module. For example, it is possible to run a transmitter in class 12 mode on a PC Card using four slots out of eight, which is a 50% duty cycle. If the card draws 100 mA continuously plus 1.8 Amps peak pulse transmission current then I_(steady)+D·i_(peak)=0.1+0.5×·1.8 Amps×1.0 Amp, which is at the 1 Amp limit. This ignores losses, so a 1.8 Amp pulse is the maximum that could be supported in an ideal circuit. In a real circuit, the pulse load that can be supported will necessarily be less, and the preferred design parameter is 1.5 Amps. Such a 1.5 Amp pulse results in an average of 0.85 Amps, which leaves some headroom and allowance for losses.

An embodiment of the invention that is specifically designed for operation with a PC card having a GPRS Class 12 module includes a supercapacitor that has a capacitance of 0.48 Farads and ESR of 20 mΩ. Again, the source voltage (V_(cc)) is 3.3 Volts and supply 4 provides 200 mΩ source impedance. A class 12 (4-slot) transmission includes about a 100 mA continuous load, and a 1.5 Amp maximum pulse for 2.308 ms every 4.616 ms. There is shown in FIG. 4 a set of oscilloscope traces that correspond with the traces of FIG. 3, but which relate to a GPRS Class 12 module together with the supercapacitor referred to immediately above. That is, progressing from the top trace to the bottom trace, there is illustrated:

the input voltage, that is, V_(cc)—designated by reference numeral 15.

The load voltage, that is, V_(load)—designated by reference numeral 16.

The current drawn from supply 4, that is, i_(input)—designated by reference numeral 17.

The current drawn by the GPRS module, that is, i_(load)—designated by reference numeral 18.

Again, due to the use of the supercapacitor i_(input) does not exceed the 1 Amp specification and the load voltage V_(load) remains above 3V.

Adding extra source resistance is a means to reduce the maximum current drawn from supply 4, but it is not advisable in applications in which V_(load) is close to the acceptable minimum.

Examples of supercapacitors that are suitable for use with the GPRS Class 12 module referred to above listed in Table 2. The design parameters being assumed are a 1.6 Amp maximum load current and that V_(load) is maintained above 3 Volts.

Similarly with the Class 10 examples, the lower the resistances and the ESR of the supercapacitor used, the better the ripple voltage will be and the more voltage headroom there will be.

TABLE 2 Footprint Capacitance ESR Voltage (mm × Thickness (Farads) (mΩ) (Volts) mm) (mm) Type No. 0.45 24 4.5 39 × 17 3.9 GS205 0.95 (each) 12 (each) 2.3 39 × 17 1.91 GS105 (x2) 1.4 20 4.5 39 × 17 4.99 GS208 2.7 (each) 10 (each) 2.3 39 × 17 2.46 GS108 (x2)

The invention is also applicable to other operating environments such as CompactFlash Cards including a GPRS or a GSM modem. These cards are typically limited to a current drain of 0.5 Amps, which at a supply voltage of 3.3 Volts, is considerably less than the 1.5 to 2 Amps that the modem requires to transmit at full power. The arrangement is conceptually similar to FIG. 1, where card 2 represents the CompactFlash Card including the modem, and supercapacitor 6 represents a supercapacitor selected for this environment.

To illustrate this additional embodiment reference is made to the following specific example. Particularly, the modem is configured to transmit in class 8 mode on a CF+Card, using 1 slot out of 8, which translates to a 12.5% duty cycle. The card draws 100 mA continuously, plus 1.9 Amps peak pulse transmission current. Using the above equations, I_(steady)+D·i_(peak)=0.1+0.125·×1.9 Amps=0.34 Amps, which is well under the 0.5 Amp limit. This calculation ignores losses, but gives an approximate magnitude of the current that will be drawn from the source when using a supercapacitor.

The supercapacitor used in this embodiment has a capacitance of 0.25 Farad and an ESR of 40 mΩ. Supply 4 provides a source voltage V_(cc) of 3.3 Volts and has a source impedance of about 200 mΩ. The CompactFlash Card draws about 100 mA continuous and a 1.65 Amp pulse for 0.577 ms every 4.616 ms due to the Class 8 (1-slot) transmission. It will be appreciated that the peak source current in practice is higher than the ideal value predicted above, but this is to be expected when taking source resistance and supercapacitor ESR into account.

In other embodiments where CompactFlash Cards are used, the supercapacitor is chosen to have a lower ESR than that used in the above example to allow for some headroom and/or to support a transmitter that draws a higher current.

The table below, Table 3, contains examples of supercapacitors that are also suitable for the embodiments having CompactFlash Cards. These devices allow the load to stay within specification by drawing less than the 0.5 Amp limit. Again, where the specified voltage of the listed supercapacitors is less than the operational voltage of the application, then two like devices are connected in series.

TABLE 3 Capaci- Footprint Thick- Max i_(load) tance ESR Voltage (mm × ness (Amps) (Farads) (mΩ) (Volts) mm) (mm) Type No. 1.75 0.45 24 4.5   39 × 17 3.9 GS205 1.75 0.95 12 2.3   39 × 17 1.91 GS105 (x2) 1.65 0.35 32 4.5 28.5 × 17 4.63 GW210 1.65 0.65 16 2.3 28.5 × 17 2.28 GW110 (x2)

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 where there is illustrated a PCMCIA card 19. This card conforms to the standard dimensions and is configured for insertion into a complementary port of a desktop computer 20, a laptop computer 21 and a PDA 22. It will be appreciated the such a card or a like card is also able to be fitted to other computing devices.

Card 19 includes a communications module to provide the computing device into which it is installed to communicated with a remote system. It also includes a power supply in accordance with the invention (not shown) to ensure that card 19 remains within specification while the communication is affected.

In other embodiments, however, the power supply according to the invention is mounted within computer 20 or 21 or PDA 22 and not directly to card 19.

Another embodiment of the invention, in the form of a communications card 23, is illustrated in FIG. 6. Card 23 is configured for mounting within a computer or other computing device, and includes a GPRS module (not specifically shown) and a power supply according to the invention (also not specifically shown). The usual current drain limit on such a device is 1 Amp notwithstanding the 1.5 to 2 Amp peak requirement of the GPRS module. However, card 23 is able to remain within specification through inclusion of a power supply according to the invention.

An embodiment of the invention similar to the provided in FIG. 2 is detailed in FIG. 3 of co-pending PCT patent application no. PCT/AU02/0176. The disclosure contained within that earlier application is incorporated herein by way of cross-reference.

Additional design considerations for embodiments of the invention are provide in the following Appendix A. This Appendix is an Application Note developed by the inventors and is incorporated as part of the disclosure within this patent specification.

The above-described embodiments of the invention provide the following main advantages:

-   -   During normal operation conditions, which prevail for most of         the time, the current limiting circuit provide negligible         resistance and, hence, consumes little power.     -   Through use of a supercapacitor in parallel with the load, and         the limiting of the current from the power source, it is         possible to keep the power source within specification while         accurately powering high peak power circuitry.     -   From the perspective of the power source, there is provided an         averaging effect for power consumption. This is particularly         useful for battery sources, but also has design advantages for         all sources. That is, it allows for the use of more cost         effective components in the power source as greater certainty is         obtained about the load characteristics. Putting this in another         way, the design of the power source is able to take advantage of         the reduced peak current demands.     -   The supercapacitive device is able to be simply connected in         parallel with the load (and the output terminals) with minimal         other circuitry. That is, There is no need to switch the         supercapacitor device into and out of connection within the         load.     -   The current limiter provides for a low resistance mode and a         linear mode, although the design is such that the limiter will         remain in the low resistance mode for most of the time.     -   Allows the use of pulsed loads in some prior situations where         power supply limitations prevented this from occurring.     -   Allows prior power supplies to remain within specification for         pulsed lead of the type described.     -   Relatively few components are required and power consumption, on         average is low, making the embodiments particularly suitable to         low power applications such as portable electronic devices that         rely occasionally, regularly or exclusively upon batteries or         other portable power sources.     -   Small in volume and, as such, more easily able to be either         retrofitted into existing housing of electronic devices or         designed into new housing for such devices.

Although the invention has been describes with reference to specification examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that is may be embodied in many other forms. 

1. A power supply for a load that demands an average load current and a peak load current that is higher than the average load current, the power supply including: input terminals for connecting with a power source that supplies a source current that is less than a predetermined current limit, wherein the predetermined current limit is less than the peak load current; output terminals for electrically connecting with the input terminals and the load; and a supercapacitor device in parallel with the output terminals for allowing the load to be supplied to the peak load current while substantially maintaining the source current at less than about the predetermined current limit.
 2. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined current limit is between the average load current and the peak load current.
 3. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the voltage at the input terminals is greater than or equal to the voltage at the output terminals.
 4. A supply according to claim 1 that maintains the input and the output terminals at substantially the same voltage.
 5. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the supercapacitor device includes one or more supercapacitors in parallel with the output terminals.
 6. A supply according to claim 1 including a current limiter disposed between the input terminals and the output terminals.
 7. A supply according to claim 6 wherein the current limiter maintains the source current at less than the predetermined current limit during charging of the supercapacitive device from the power source.
 8. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the supercapacitor device includes a plurality of supercapacitors that are connected in parallel with each other.
 9. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the supercapacitor device includes a plurality of supercapacitors that are connected in series with each other.
 10. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than 30 mΩ.
 11. A supply according to claim 10 wherein the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than 24 mΩ.
 12. A supply according to claim 11 wherein the supercapacitor device has an ESR of less than 20 mΩ.
 13. A supply according to claim 1 wherein the supercapacitor device provides a capacitance of at least about 0.4 Farads.
 14. A supply according to claim 1 wherein a footprint of the supercapacitor device is less than about 800 mm².
 15. A supply according to claim 1, wherein the footprint of the supercapacitor device is less than about 40 mm×20 mm. 